Missile program not IAEA’s business

A senior Iranian lawmaker insists that Iran’s missile program is not within the jurisdiction of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

“Iran’s missile capability is none of the agency’s business,” said Alaeddin Boroujerdi, Chairman of the parliamentary (Majlis) Committee on National Security and Foreign Policy on Wednesday.

“Where were the agency and other international organizations when, during the eight-year (Iraqi-imposed) war, Iranian cities were attacked by Iraqi missiles,” he added.

The lawmaker, from the western City of Borujerd, was referring to the IAEA’s latest report that accuses Iran of trying to develop “nuclear payload for a missile.”

“These alleged activities consist of a number of projects and sub-projects, covering nuclear- and missile-related aspects, run by the military-related organizations,” AIEA Director General Yukiya Amano’s report alleged on Thursday.

Amano, who has reportedly claimed that at his new position he wants to focus on “the facts” and pursue a more technical approach than his predecessor, Mohamed ElBaradei, also complained about the level of Iran’s cooperation with the agency.

This is while the UN nuclear watchdog has carried out the highest number of inspections in Iran compared to any other country throughout its history and has found nothing to indicate that the program has diverted toward weaponization.